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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Jessa Russo, Author of DIVIDE, talks about her writing style

So glad Jessa Russo can stop on by today. Welcome, Jessa!

“My Writing Style: Plotter
or Pantser?”

I’m often asked the question—as most of us probably are—of
what my writing style is. Am I a plotter, paving my way with outlines and story
arcs, character write-ups and plans? Or am I a pantser—a ‘fly by the seat of my
pants, go with the flow, write it all out and hope for the best’ kind of girl?

The simple answer: pantser.
And proud of it. *grin*

I honestly just sit down and write. My “motto” is Just Write. (Pretty hard one to
remember, huh? So much so that I tattooed it on my arm. Lol!)

But seriously, just write. Write until the words come.
Because they will, if only you sit back and let them.

When I sat down in 2010 (2009?) to write EVER, I had a
barebones idea: a girl who lived with a houseful of ghosts. Over many months
and a gazillion revisions (don’t even get me started on what that first draft
looked like, ugh!), that house full of
ghosts dwindled down to just one: the ghost of Ever’s best friend and
secret love. But I didn’t have the storyline to go with that idea, just the
characters. And, truth be told, even Ever and Frankie morphed and changed as I
trucked along in that world, though Frankie always remained a greaser from the
1950’s, even when he wasn’t.

With DIVIDE, I sat down on November 1, 2012, for my very
first attempt at NaNoWriMo, my full intention to finish fleshing out EVADE:
Book Two of The Ever Trilogy. Instead, and much to my surprise, the story of
Holland Briggs flowed out onto the page—for no other reason than the simple
fact that those were the words that needed to be written at that moment, and
that was the story I had to tell right then. I knew I wanted to gender flip
Beauty and the Beast, and I wanted to do it in such a way that our beautiful
‘Beauty’, main character Holland, wasn’t just a simple reproduction of the
perfect, kind, flawless and aesthetically pleasing heroine. I wanted there to
be some darkness, some form of a beast within, something that signified, even
just a little, the truth that beauty is only skin deep, and we never know what
may be lurking beneath the surface. Although, in this case, Holland isn’t
result a monster, and has no control over what’s happening to her, but I’m
getting off topic. DIVIDE was nearly completed by the end of November—side
note: something I adore about NaNoWriMo is the discipline it forces us pansters
to have, even, and possibly more specifically, in the case of already published
authors—and by April DIVIDE was out on submission and entering contests.
Without a plot or outline to be found.

Eventually, I finished the second book in The Ever Trilogy,
and, much to the chagrin of fans of that series, I’m going to tell you all that
I have no idea how that series will
end. Because when I sat down to finish it, I wrote ARK OF DREAMS (my Noah’s Ark
redux), and then later, CHLORINE & CHAOS (my erotic romance, writing as
Parker Jameson).

So that’s the flaw of the pantser, or at least, the flaw of this pantser. I have every
intention of doing one thing, but often, my words take me somewhere completely
different. I mean, contemporary erotic romance? Who knew? Certainly not this YA
writer. *blushes*

But there it is. I wrote. I followed the words. I let the
stories tell themselves, allowed the characters to forge their own paths, and
here I am. Forever a panster, and not seeing that changing anytime soon.
Because in my case—and only mine, as
I don’t speak for other writers—the second I try to rein it in and put some
order to the chaos, I lose my way and just end up writing again.

Because that’s what I do. I just write.

So whether you plot or pants or have developed some awesome
combination of the two, just do what you do. Just let the words come.

From senior class president to dejected social outcast, with just the flick of a match.

After accusations of torching her ex-boyfriend’s home are followed by the mysterious poisoning of her ex-best friend, seventeen-year-old Holland Briggs assumes her life is over. And it is. But not in the way she thinks.

As Holland learns the truth about her cursed fate—that she is descended from the Beast most have only ever heard of in fairytales—she unites with an unlikely ally, good-looking newcomer Mick Stevenson.

Mick knows more about Holland’s twisted history than she does, and enlightening as it is to learn about, his suggestion for a cure is unsettling at best. Holland must fall in love with Mick in order to break the spell, and save their future generations from repeating her cursed fate. Having sworn off love after the betrayals of her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, this may be difficult to accomplish.

Complicating things further for Holland and Mick, time runs out, and Holland’s change begins way before schedule. With Holland quickly morphing into a dangerous mythical creature, Mick struggles to save her.

Should they fail, Holland will be lost to the beast inside her forever.

I love to write romances - fantasy, paranormal, time travels, and Regency; for adults and YA. I don't want to get boxed in by genre -- I might be claustrophobic!
I'm also a freelance editor and an editor at MuseItUp Publishing. Additionally, I am also a ghostwriter.
When I'm not writing about girls wanting to be knights, talking unicorns, or zombies, I love spending time with my loving and growing family. I enjoy riding horses (pretending they're unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dressed in garb.
Nicole.Zoltack@gmail.com is my email. Feel free to contact me!